A music venue's been given thousands of pounds to make its toilets gender neutral.

The Ramsgate Music Hall successfully won a round of Arts Council funding to redevelop the bathroom space, which has not been changed since it opened in 2014.

Andre Dack, manager of the venue, felt it was important to make the performance space inclusive to every person who attends the gig nights.

He said: "I just want everyone to feel safe all the time, and no one to feel awkward in their surroundings.

"When you see live music at a grassroots level it can be so euphoric.

"It's the best thing in the world, and I don't want anyone to think they can't do that."

Andre also admits the stalls have needed a fix-up for a few years, being a common point of feedback from regular gig-goers.

The music fanatic said: "These toilets haven't been touched since we first opened, and the club nights really do take their toll."

The Arts Council awarded the venue more than £9000 for their plans to knock through the men and women's toilets and create one gender-neutral space.

There will be a partition wall to urinals as well as standard cubicles.

In addition to the new gender-neutral space, a single-sex and disabled toilet will be installed for those who would rather not use the new area.

Andre said: "If someone still wants to go into a regular toilet, they can.

"Even though this is a very good thing and it's inclusive, some people still will feel a bit awkward about it because it's a new thing.

"That's just the way it is, so we want to keep that option open."

The money also want to restore vital sewage works attached to the building.

Andre joins another grasroots venue in Thanet working to make sure the LGBT+ community feel welcomed.

Another venue in Margate, Elsewhere, put on a punk night called Margate Pride Rock last year to celebrate the evolution of sexual politics.

Ray Prendergast performed with her band Pink Suits, and said: "I think these sort of nights are really great. They're really important.

"It's really nice to have a space where people feel safe and can be whoever they want to be."

The mission to find funding support for grassroots venues has been the focus of the Music Venues Trust, which was founded by Mark Davyd in Tunbridge Wells.

Speaking to KentOnline last year, Mr Davyd reiterated how important it is to support small independent venues who are trying to stay afloat in a tough economy.

He said: "Anybody who's opening a music venue in this current climate should be given a massive round of applause and needs all the support they can get."

The trust have welcomed the Arts Council's decision to renew the Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund for another year.

The fund will make a further £1.5m available to independent venues and promoters in Kent and across the country.

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet